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study--which will only include half of CPS's school buildings-- will not be complete before June, 2014. In the meantime, CPS will proceed to close schools without a master facilities plan in place. A list of the schools they intend to close will be released by March 31, 2013. The consequences of closing schools are significant, and should not be taken lightly. Students stand to initially lose 6 months' academic achievement as a result of transferring to different schools. Unfortunately, the replacement schools often perform at the same levels or worse than the schools that close. New schools take at least 5 years to fully develop. On top of that, a study of Chicago charter school finances revealed that nearly 40% have had significant cash flow problems in recent years, including challenges funding state mandated contributions to teacher pension plans. This does not bode very well for long term sustainability for some charter schools. Unfortunately, the children who are most likely to be impacted are the ones who can least afford the disruptions. The Governor and the Illinois Legislature should create an Illinois Educational Facilities Planning Board to regulate the development and expansion of schools in the State of Illinois. School districts should be able to demonstrate 1) financial ability to complete the proposed construction or expansion project; 2) the capacity to operate the school and make contributions to teacher pension funds or other retirement plans; 3) market demand, as evidenced by demographic trends, number and types of schools, available seats and educational goals and objectives of the district. Sign onto our petition at (http://signon.org/sign/illinois-legislature) Valerie F. Leonard Co-Founder The Lawndale Alliance valeriefleonard@msn.com 773-925-5298